Free w/ in-app purchase or Lite & Full version?

[Venan]

One note about the free app ratings - that will probably change a lot now that Rate On Delete is no longer presented.

That being said though, I think Lite+Full will work out best in the long run. I can't say I've seen any poster children for In-App purchase yet other than the Freemium games, so unless this is just a hobby, I'd pick the one with the better track record.

[DropDKeith]

With Tap Studio, our original version was free only. Then we added the PRO functionality as an in-app purchase. This was going pretty well, and then, on a bit of a whim we decided to release a standalone Tap Studio PRO that contains the exact same functionality as the free + PRO Upgrade in app purchase.

The crazy thing is that we get about 3x more Tap Studio PRO sales than PRO Upgrade in-app purchases in the free Tap Studio. So doing both was a great move for us.

I really don't know why... Is it because you can't make in-app purchases through iTunes?

One other thing to note is that we do get complaints and confusion about the two different versions, several people have purchased both because they didn't understand. We're trying to clear that up in the app.

[invulse]

Originally Posted by DropDKeith

With Tap Studio, our original version was free only. Then we added the PRO functionality as an in-app purchase. This was going pretty well, and then, on a bit of a whim we decided to release a standalone Tap Studio PRO that contains the exact same functionality as the free + PRO Upgrade in app purchase.

The crazy thing is that we get about 3x more Tap Studio PRO sales than PRO Upgrade in-app purchases in the free Tap Studio. So doing both was a great move for us.

I really don't know why... Is it because you can't make in-app purchases through iTunes?

One other thing to note is that we do get complaints and confusion about the two different versions, several people have purchased both because they didn't understand. We're trying to clear that up in the app.

Keith, Thanks for the insight. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with the lite/full route now.

[MrBlue]

Btw, you can use FAAD for free + IAP type games. They promoted tapfish and that gangsta game and propelled both to top spots in the app store. But those games have built-in audience from other sources as well, so who knows.

[EssentialParadox]

Originally Posted by DropDKeith;

With Tap Studio, our original version was free only. Then we added the PRO functionality as an in-app purchase. This was going pretty well, and then, on a bit of a whim we decided to release a standalone Tap Studio PRO that contains the exact same functionality as the free + PRO Upgrade in app purchase.

The crazy thing is that we get about 3x more Tap Studio PRO sales than PRO Upgrade in-app purchases in the free Tap Studio. So doing both was a great move for us.

I really don't know why... Is it because you can't make in-app purchases through iTunes?

One other thing to note is that we do get complaints and confusion about the two different versions, several people have purchased both because they didn't understand. We're trying to clear that up in the app.

I think your experience touches on an important factor in any retail environment: impulse purchases. It's often that I'll see a paid app, and just based off it's screenshots and description, I buy it there and then. But once I've had that chance to play the game first, the novelty has worn off a little and that 'impulse' part is mostly gone by then.

[ElectricGrandpa]

As a user, free with IAP is definitely better.

As a dev, I can't see how free with IAP would be better than lite+paid.

A lot of great reasons have already been stated, but one of the key things is that tons of users never look at free apps. I know I only look at the paid app charts unless I specifically hear about some sort of "free-for-a-day" deal. There is just WAY too much crap in the free store to even bother going through it. Another problem is that a large portion of free users will never pay for anything, no matter how good it is, which is why they're looking at free apps in the first place.

Also, even with rate-on-delete removed, free apps still get way worse ratings, because users have no money invested, and therefore won't bother to "understand" the game. With paid apps, they want to get their money's worth, so they're more likely to try it and put a bit more time into learning it.

[EssentialParadox]

Originally Posted by ElectricGrandpa;

As a user, free with IAP is definitely better.

As a dev, I can't see how free with IAP would be better than lite+paid.

Well you do have one advantage in terms of it acting as an anti piracy measure. But I don't know if that's worth the disadvantages.

[Tap Dat App]

If you make the app Free + IAP, it will be harder for people to fully pirate. But, if you do make it Free + IAP, note that a lot of jailbroken users seem to have difficulty with purchasing IAPs, as it doesn't work half the time due to an install they have of something else in Cydia, and some users may not take the initiative to find out why the purchase won't go through and simply give up.

From a consumer stand point, I do think Free + IAP is more convenient, but the apps that do it make me feel like they're shady ever since Ngmoco started doing it with every freakin' app they have. It makes me feel a bit ripped off.

[Eli]

Solution: Don't buy things you don't feel are worth your money.

[ElectricGrandpa]

Originally Posted by EssentialParadox

Well you do have one advantage in terms of it acting as an anti piracy measure. But I don't know if that's worth the disadvantages.

What I've noticed with Trainyard is that the vast amount of pirates are just people who wouldn't ever pay for the game anyway. A few of them don't have credit cards, and things like that. I'd rather have more people playing it than not play it at all. I'm definitely not encouraging piracy, but I feel like if my app had IAP, they would just go pirate other paid apps and ignore my app completely. I don't really see that as a good thing.